Avatar: The Last Airbender Book II: Fire
by Luna Kahlo
Summary: Waterbenders haunted by gruesome pasts, warm goats milk, strange Agni Kai tactics...and a mission for a weapon that has been lost to the Avatar for over 100 years. The first of a three part saga...Iroh suggests bringing along a good cup of tea
1. Chapter 1

The Avatar

Book Two

Fire

By: Luna Khalo

I.

The clouds bruised the sky purple as Aang, Katara, and Sokka finally reached the North Pole. Appa skimmed the ground, big muddy paws making gapping tracks in the snow. Katara breathed the icy air with a smile. It was like being home again.

The peaks of the tents of the Water Tribe village curved gently out from a valley of snow. Warm smoke curled from the clay chimneys and the laughter of children could be heard in the evening air. Life existed frozen in time here, where the current war had not touched it…yet.

"Katara! Penguin sledding!" Aang squeaked, tugging her tunic sleeve. He pointed to a group of children chasing penguins, some successfully mounting their backs. Ang's eyes grew wide with excited anticipation. Katara smiled. Aang may be the Avatar, but all that power was locked within a twelve year old body. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"We don't have time for penguin sledding, Aang." Aang's lower lip formed a pout, but Katara placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"We'll go later, Aang. Right now, we need to find the chief of the Water Tribe." Aang nodded his head. He slid down Appa's thick fur to the animal's head and grabbed the reins. The faster they find the chief, the sooner he could go penguin sledding. And the sooner he goes penguin sledding, the less he had to think about being the Avatar.

"Appa, yip-yip!"

Appa landed in the center of the Water Tribe village, the huts forming a scuffed circle around the visitors. Curious children poked their heads from windows and around mother's legs. Like the South Pole tribe, these people were bereft of their men. The survivors of the war with the Fire Nation were always the same- the elderly, the children, the women.

A young woman stepped from the center hut and briskly walked up to the newcomers. She reached them with a knowing smile on her face as she smoothed back her copper colored hair.

"Welcome to the North Pole Water Tribe. The chief will be here shortly, Avatar. Please make yourselves at home." Katara unshouldered her pack. Aang tossed his pack aside and extended his hand to the girl.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Aang!"

"The pleasure is all mine, Avatar," the young woman smiled, raising her hand to meet Ang's. Sokka quickly grabbed Aang's wrist, staring at the girl.

"How'd you know he was the Avatar?" Katara stepped between Sokka and the girl.

"Sokka, what are you doing?" Sokka continued to stare suspiciously at the girl.

"She knew Aang is the Avatar, Katara."

"So? She may have heard about it from another tribe! It's no secret the Avatar has returned. The kingdoms are spreading the word…"

"Or, she could be a Fire Nation spy."

"Uh, Sokka?" Aang tapped the boy's arm, "my wrist is going numb." Katara pulled Aang's wrist from her brother's grip and glared at Sokka, her nose inches from his nose.

"Will you listen to yourself? What's wrong with you, Sokka? Even since our last escape from the Fire Nation, you've been more paranoid and grumpy than usual."

"So what if I am? Lately it seems like we can't trust anyone. Remember Jet?" Katara crossed her arms bitterly against her chest.

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" Sokka bent close to her ear.

"Look, I just have a weird feeling about this girl. Call it…"

"'Sokka's Instincts'?" Katara teased her brother.

"Whatever. Something's a little off. "By now, the entire tribe had gathered in the center of the village and was watching the arguing siblings with wide eyes. Aang turned to his companions.

"Uh, Sokka? Katara? Everyone-is-staring-at-us…" The siblings broke their stare and turned to face the copper-haired girl, who remained amused the entire time.

"We'd like to speak with the chief, please. We don't have much time," Katara announced. The girl raised her eyebrow warily.

"From your debate with your brother, I'd say you've got plenty of time, at least, time to waste on petty bickering." Sokka snatched his club from his pack and held it threateningly towards the girl. Shocked gasps circled through the village, several of the young women began to creep towards the visitors, hands locked around boomerangs. The copper haired girl held up her hand, both silencing Sokka and holding the warriors in check.

"Put that away, my warrior. I will explain."

"How'd you know we're related?"

"Oh, that's simple. All siblings fight like that." Sokka flashed her a swaggering smile.

"And how'd you know I was a warrior?" The girl answered by shoving an elaborately carved bone headdress in her thick hair. She reached for her own club, strapped at her side. Katara gasped and bowed her head in a sign of respect. Sokka followed suit, still stunned. Aang bowed and gazed up at the girl. Her eyes were warm and green, strange for a water bender.

"Knock that off; makes me feel old. Let's try this again, " she said, stepping to Aang with a friendly hand extended, "I'm Lenara, chief of the North Pole Water Benders. Glad you could make it!"


	2. Chapter 2

II.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka were starving. The meal in front of them, though by no means the luxurious banquet they had in Omashu, was still warm and inviting. Sokka piled his plate with comfort food, meats dripping in gravy, breads steaming from the clay ovens. In the candlelight, Lenara noticed these children, not much younger than she herself was, looked so much older than they were. The journey was already taking its toll on them.

Of course, to them, she must look about forty years in the eyes instead of the mere 15 years she was. A lot had passed since she came back to the water tribe.

Katara noticed Lenara staring at the candle flame.

"So, how has the harvest been?"

"A little slim this year, but we'll survive. We always do." Aang blinked.

"What harvest? I didn't see any farms."

"No, Aang. Harvesting the water."

"But, there's water everywhere, Katara. What do they need to harvest more for?"

"Ever heard of the old saying, 'Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink'? Well, that's the problem we have here, Avatar. Most of the water comes from the glaciers and the ocean, both saltwater sources," Lenara explained, removing the heavy bone headdress from her thick hair.

"That's better. We have to create our own freshwater by bending the salt out of the water."

"That sounds tricky," Katara replied, pushing away her plate. Sokka snatched up a piece of bread from Katara's plate and slathered it in butter.

"It is. But our water benders are dedicated people. However, we're having a problem getting rid of the salt. We tried boiling it away, but the process takes too long." Lenara watched Sokka begin to cram the bread from his sister's plate into his mouth. He paused, midway, noticing Lenara staring at him, her cool green eyes seemed to go right through him. His cheeks turned pink and he gave the bread a dainty bite. Lenara smiled and pushed a plate of bread towards Sokka.

"Eat up, my warrior. You've been on a long journey. Seriously, I can't tell you all how relieved I am to see you, especially you, Aang. I have been keeping track of the Avatar's journey since the ice was broken six months ago." Aang looked surprised. It had been months since he had triggered his Avatar spirit at the Southern Air Temple. His anger came from the discovery of the bones of his teacher, Gehatsu.

"You knew about that?" Lenara nodded.

"Since the light that appeared from our own Avatar temple signaled the return of the Avatar, my warriors and I have set up a system of posts around the neighboring kingdoms, like Kyoshi and Omashu, to watch your travels, but not to interfere. Not unless you were in dire straits. I was trying to get a post set up in the Fire Nation, but I couldn't ask my tribes-people to put their lives in that much jeopardy." Sokka popped the last of the bread in his mouth, washing it down with warm goat's milk.

"Oh man, that's good!" Lenara grinned and stood from the table. Aang and Katara got to their feet. Sokka remained reclined by the table, lazily picking his teeth.

"I'll show you to your hut. In the morning, I would like to speak with each of you briefly before you go."

"Go?" Katara walked anxiously around the table to face the water chief, "we just got here! We came here to learn water bending! Aang has to master the four elements by summer's end!" Lenara gripped Katara's shoulder.

"I wish you could stay, my water-sister, but a Fire Navy ship has been spotted two posts away and I fear for the Avatar's safety."

"Zuko," Katara and Sokka breathed. Lenara had a puzzled look on her face, but asked nothing. Aang thumbed to the doorway.

"We'd better get some sleep, then. So much for penguin sledding." Katara and Sokka followed Aang out the door. Lenara paused long enough to pinch the flames out on the candles. She couldn't help being drawn to the fire. She ducked past the leather door cover to catch up with the travelers.

III.

The sun had barely shivered from its cloudy blanket when Lenara appeared as a shadow in the doorway. She waited to see who would wake first. It came as little surprise when Sokka turned over and stared at the doorway.

"How'd you know?" Lenara whispered, not wanting to wake the others.

"I can sense someone staring at me," Sokka grumbled, half asleep.

"You have pretty good instincts, Sokka. Wanna take a walk?" Sokka, startled by the compliment, nodded and pulled on his tunic. He met Lenara by the door and they moved onto a trail that wound beyond the village up a gentle hill. Sokka stretched as he yawned and scratched his back.

"Where is the Fire Navy ship now?"

"Not far from the coast. A few miles. Or leagues. Or whatever they measure stuff with…" Sokka laughed to himself, shaking his head. He had never heard of a water bender who couldn't measure leagues of water. They mounted the hill and began their accent.

"What are you going to do when the Fire Navy ship reaches the village?" Sokka asked. They crested the hill as the red sun shone from the horizon. Lenara new what a red sun meant-either blood was spilled during the night, or it would be this morning.

"We'll protect the village. We'll fight. We'll survive. We always do." She turned to Sokka, her emerald eyes shining, "besides, I've been waiting for the chance to take on the Fire Nation. It's been a long time coming." Sokka really liked this girl. Strange that he didn't trust her when they first met.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to be so edgy and suspicious. We're just trying to keep a low profile since Zuko and the Fire Navy keep…" Lenara held up a hand and Sokka paused.

"You don't have to explain yourself, Sokka. You should always be on your guard. If not for your vigilance, the Avatar may not be here now. Or your sister, for that matter. The Avatar is the only person who can unite the clans of this world and bring balance back to the Nations. Continue to trust your instincts, Sokka." Sokka stood a little straighter, proud of the water chief's praise.

"Now, will you tell Katara to meet me by the shore?"

"Sure. Uh, Lenara?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Sokka held out his hand and Lenara returned the handshake.

"Fight hard, my warrior. But before you go," Lenara's face became serious, "tell me about this Zuko."

Katara raced to the shoreline. Sokka told her the Water Tribe chief was waiting for her. Katara found Lenara without her robe, a light sleeveless tunic and shorts replacing it. Indifferent to the cold, she bent towards the water, bringing it up around her body and formed a ball. As Katara approached, Lenara held the spinning ball of water aloft.

"Hey water-sister! Catch!" Lenara tossed the ball to Katara. Katara clumsily balanced the ball between her hands.

"Good reflexes, Katara."

"Thanks, but I'm not as good as Aang." Katara let the ball slip and it splashed around her feet.

"Of course you're not. Aang's the Avatar," Lenara said to a solemn Katara, "but that doesn't define who he is or who you are." Katara blinked. In the South Pole, she was the only water bender. That was who she was. Without her water bending skills, who was she?

"What do you mean?"  
"Well," Lenara scooped up another stream of water, "The Avatar was reborn as Ang, right? But he was born Aang first. Aang has the Avatar's powers, but he has his own thoughts and feelings, not the thoughts and feelings of past Avatars." Lenara shaped the water into a ring.

"We all have things that make us unique, Katara, but they may not be our strengths. You care about Sokka and Aang, you defend them both physically and verbally. You passionately believe the Avatar will bring peace to this world. Those beliefs, those actions are what make you who you are." Lenara threw the water ring at Katara and smiled when the water bender caught it easily.

"Once you figure out your true strengths, the rest will come effortlessly. You may not be as powerful as the Avatar, Katara, but who is? Keep in mind you have an equally important part to play in his fate. He needs a friend more than a bender right now." Katara bowed and Lenara returned the bow, stooping lower to collect her robe.

"That ship is almost here. I must speak to Aang."

Aang and Sokka were packing the supplies when Katara appeared over the rise leading to the shore. She took Aang's half-rolled sleeping bag from him.

"Lenara wants to talk to you. I'll finish up here." Aang gazed at the rise. Silhouetted against the gold morning sun was Lenara, back in her flowing blue robes. Aang met Lenara on the rise and they walked past the village in silence. As they approached the outskirts of the village, Lenara stopped and turned to Aang. Aang waited for the speech to come, the one about responsibility and being the Avatar.

"Aang?"

"Yeah, Lenara?"

"Wanna go penguin sledding?"


	3. Chapter 3

IV.

Aang's laughter could be heard for miles. Peels of joyful squeals made their way through the lacquered glacier tunnels as Aang and Lenara surfed their way deeper into the catacombs. As the light turned from silver to blue to indigo, Aang's eyes adjusted to the growing darkness. Finally, the penguins slid to a stop at a small hole at the base of an otherwise solid sheet of ice. Lenara climbed off her penguin and motioned for Aang to follow. The two crouched low on their hands and knees and crawled the length of the tunnel. All the light that was with them vanished when they reached the end of the passage.

"Stay where you are, Aang. I'll get the lights."

"What lights?" Aang whispered, his voice echoing across the vast space. He blinked, trying to figure out where he was. He felt cool air on his head and solid rock, not ice, below his feet.

Lenara suddenly came into view, holding a glowing crystal that refracted light off of the cave's collection of similar jewels. Aang watched the cave slowly grow brighter, glowing with soft light filtered in the heavy and fractured crystals.

"Oh, those lights."

"Yes, this cave is where we are starting to bring the salt from the water. We form crystals from the salt and let them grow. Of course, it takes a while, but the crystal can be used for lighting fires, cutting rope, hunting, just about anything. They make great instruments if you have the right hammer, " Lenara winked at Aang. Aang touched a crystal stuck in the wall. It turned blue where his hand touched it, then melted back to its original green color.

"Crystals aren't always what they seem. They have many facets to them, so they're hard to read. And they are not so easy to find, "Lenara reached for a dirty scuffed rock, "this rock, by any other name, would still look just as beat up and dull." She tapped the rock sharply with a tiny metal hammer. The rock split neatly in two, revealing a center that glowed a deep red. Aang's eyes widened as Lenara extracted the crystal.

"But nothing is what it seems, Aang. The surface of people, like this rock, may not be who that person truly is. Lying inside may be a beautiful persona that is covered by a rough shell. Remember to dig deep for the truth, Avatar, and keep in mind one's beauty may lie far within." Aang smiled, pressed his palms together and bowed. Lenara swept Aang up into a hug, making the Avatar laugh.

"Be brave, Aang. Many people have fought and died in hopes that the Avatar would deliver them. You know you can do this. And be thankful that you have your friends with you. Most Avatars carried their burdens alone."

"I will, Lenara. Thank you for your wisdom."

"Thank you for returning, Aang. I know it was not easy, but it was right." A loud, low trumpet shook the very bowels of the cave.

"The Fire Navy ship! We gotta get back to the village!"

V.

Aang and Lenara rushed to the front of the village. Katara and Sokka had already mounted Appa. Aang saw the Fire Prince's ship swiftly approaching the shore. He turned to Lenara.

"We can help you!" Lenara shook her head.

"You have to leave, Aang. I can handle the Fire Nation."

"But what about the village?" shouted Katara.

"The village can take care of itself!" Lenara unstrapped her club and plunked the bone headdress on her head. She began to walk towards the shore. Aang grabbed her arm.

"Lenara, be careful! Zuko's dangerous and he won't stop at burning a village to find me."

"You're talking about what he did at Kyoshi?" Aang hung his head. He still felt ashamed at what had happened. Lenara stared at the approaching ship. Minutes slipped by. Aang opened his mouth to speak. Katara started to climb off of Appa…

"You don't need to worry, Aang. I have an idea." Lenara turned to Aang, her green eyes bright and sharp. She knelt in front of Aang.

"Aang! We have to go!" Sokka yelped. The ship was almost to the shore. Aang wrapped his arms around the water bender and whispered,

"We'll see you again, right?" Lenara pulled away from Aang.

"I don't know, Aang. I hope so."

"Aang!" Katara hollered. The ship was docking, scrapping a scar into the ice. Aang jumped nimbly onto Appa's head and snapped the reins.

"Yip-yip!" Appa climbed into the sky. Lenara watched them leave, her hand pressed against her brow to shield the sun from her view.

"Ride hard, Avatar." Lenara gripped her club. The gangplank lowered on the Fire Navy ship. Time to meet this Prince Zuko.

VI.

Prince Zuko led his band of fire soldiers down the ramp. General Iroh continued on with his nephew, leaving the ranks of fire benders behind them. He leaned towards his nephew.

"One lone water bender. Not a good sign."

"One is enough if they can tell me where the Avatar is going, " Zuko grumbled. The pair halted in front of the chief of the Water Tribe. Her smile was cool, her gaze hard as ice.

"I would welcome you to the village, but that would just waste time. You must be Prince Zuko." Lenara gripped her club, knuckles turning white. Zuko stared her down, but Iroh noticed the anger deflected in her hand.

"The Avatar left this village. We watched him run. Where is he going now?" Lenara returned his glare with a knowing smile.

"He didn't say and I didn't ask." Zuko's eyes narrowed.

"I think you're lying."

"And I think," Lenara replied, taking a single step towards Zuko, 'you're not asking the right questions." Zuko's clenched fists sparked fire. Iroh placed a steady hand on the Prince's shoulders.

"Then perhaps we should ask the right questions, eh, Prince Zuko?" Zuko lowered his fists, the flames cooled. He scanned the half moon of huts behind Lenara. A sinister grin creased his face.

"Right, Uncle. Would you tell us where the Avatar is _AFTER_ I burn your village to the ground?" Lenara's mind was racing. Her mother's village was her responsibility and all she had left to remind her of her mother.

"I told you, the Avatar never said where he was going, only that he's been trying to get to the North Pole."

"And you were able to anticipate his arrival and prepare his leave as quickly as a day? How did you know our ship was approaching?" Lenara took a step back as Zuko leaned forward. His left eye was conquered by a red puckered scar that encased most of the left side of his face and jaw. Lenara watched his right eye blink with anticipation. He had paid a price for that scar. What kind of crystal lay beneath this rough, beat up rock?

She straightened herself and tapped the snow covered ground with her club. A small three-dimensional map popped up, made from the snow.

"We have posts fifty miles apart from here to the South Pole. We've been tracking the Avatar's trip ever since he left his ice cube." Zuko stared at the ground as small mounds of snow sprung up on icy continents.

"Very industrious," Iroh murmured.

"We're proud of it, " Lenara replied neutrally.

"I see you don't have a post in the Fire Nation. " Zuko gave her a smug smile. Boy, this guy was a smartass. Lenara tapped the ground again and the snow flattened to the earth. She fixed Zuko with an irritatingly proud smile.

"We didn't have to. Sooner or later, the Avatar's journey will end in the Fire Nation. We are merely helping him along the way. And speaking of way," Lenara said gazing at the cloud-broken sky, "you'd better get on yours if you're going to catch the Avatar." Iroh shrugged and turned to leave, but Prince Zuko caught his arm.

"Not yet. These simple peasants were able to track the Avatar while we struggled. We can make them find the Avatar for us, " Zuko whispered. Iroh shook his head.

"That 'simple peasant' is the chief of the Water Tribe. I doubt she would be willing to help us." Zuko paused, trying to think of a plan.

"May I make a suggestion?" Both fire benders turned towards the smiling water bender. "Since you're still a threat to my village and there seems to be something I won't give you, we are at an impasse. I propose…Agni-kai."

"With a fire bender?" Iroh asked.

"We're all benders here," Lenara quipped, tossing her club aside.

"Will you be fighting us all?" Iroh gasped.

"What? No! I can't possibly take out all of you! Who do you think I am, the Avatar?" Lenara laughed. Zuko clenched his fists again.

"Then who fights?" Lenara gestured to the ranks of fire benders.

"Choose you strongest warrior and I will fight him. If I win, you must leave the North Pole and never return. You'll have to find the Avatar on your own."

"And if we win?" Iroh questioned. Lenara's eyes held a cautious stare, but she shrugged it off.

"Do whatever you want." Iroh leaned towards his nephew.

"I don't like it. Sounds too good to be true."

"I have to capture the Avatar, uncle, by any means."

"So, who's it going to be?" Lenara interrupted, approaching the two. She pointed to Iroh.

"I'll bet it's you, right? I like a challenge and you look like you've had years of experience and discipline, unlike some. "She slid her eyes to Zuko. He burned with rage. Iroh rocked on his heels with pride, hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, I don't like to brag…"

"Then don't. I'll fight," snapped Zuko. He threw off his armor. Lenara smiled to herself as she walked away from them. Pride was always her favorite sin.

Iroh stepped in front of Zuko.

"Really, Prince Zuko, I wish you wouldn't make such rash decisions."

"I'm disciplined. I've trailed. She's mocking me, I know it." Iroh shook his head. His nephew had so much to learn about women.

"She simply said I have had…"

"Enough! I'll show that water peasant who the strongest warrior is!" Zuko tore off his shirt. He stood facing his uncle, eyes blazing fire. Iroh sighed.

"Remember your training, Prince Zuko. Appearances can be deceiving."

"We should begin, if you want to catch up with the Avatar!" Lenara called out. She tossed her blue robe aside and stood facing Zuko in her white tunic and shorts, feet bare in the snow.

"That looks too cold for me," Iroh muttered, joining the line of soldiers. Zuko raised his fist. Lenara stepped forward. The Agni-kai began.


	4. Chapter 4

VII.

The first thing Iroh noticed was how small the water chief was. She couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. Yet she seemed to carry the weight of a dark past on her young but weary face.

The second thing he noticed was her patience, something Zuko lacked entirely.

Zuko delivered the first blow, blasting a shot of fire at the young girl. She stood near the shore, letting the water flow up around her bare ankles and pushed it vertically into a shield. With a small exhale, the water froze just as the fire slammed into it. The shield held, but now sported a large dent that melted around the edges. Zuko tried again, kicking the ground with a fast moving fireball. Lenara watched, hands still working the water upwards on the wall. The impact shook the shield, fractures spider-webbing the surface. Iroh scratched his beard. 'She is trying to wear him down', he thought.

"Are you going to fight or just hide behind your shield?" Zuko taunted. Lenara nodded to herself. Time to show this guy what a water bender could do.

The shield shattered, sending ice shards scattering across the snow. Out of the debris came Lenara, a scoop of water in each hand. As she tossed the water in front of her, the patch froze. She continued to freeze the ground smooth as glass as she advanced, her strides becoming long graceful strokes across the ice. She lapped Zuko, causing him to turn quickly. He slipped and fell to his knees. Fire benders were never very good on ice.

Lenara scraped around a corner and headed back to Zuko, picking up speed. She threw a couple of icicles at Zuko on her first pass, the sharp ends nailing his pant-legs to the ground. She made a second pass, this time a stream of water under the ice racing with her. As it reached the Fire Prince, it burst through the space between his hands and froze, locking his hands to the ice. Lenara stood above Zuko, frowning.

"Hardly a challenge."

"Very clever," Iroh murmured. But ice never held fire for very long. Zuko let out an angry shout and the ice covering his hands evaporated in the flames around his fists. Stomping off the icicles, he stood and kicked off his boots. To Lenara's surprise, he stepped onto the ice- and she watched in shock as the ice melted under his foot.

Zuko smirked. Lenara returned the grin. Finally, he was starting to think like a mad genius. The two raced towards each other, fire quelled by water, ice melted by flame.

Suddenly, Zuko's hand shot out and grabbed Lenara's wrist. As she struggled in his iron grip, Zuko snatched the other wrist and pulled her close to him. His sinister grin burned into her like hot coals.

"Now, what are you going to do without your hands?" Lenara's face clouded, scrambling for a plan, then suddenly, her green eyes flashed. It was a long shot…

"I'll improvise," she replied and watched the smile fade from Zuko's face as she quickly shot up on her toes, closed her eyes, and kissed the Prince of the Fire Nation.

Iroh blinked. The soldiers gasped as one. Time stopped….

Zuko lost his concentration, an electric heat tearing through his veins. He felt his eyes start to close, his body leaning slightly towards her, succumbing to this soul that dared to approach his scarred and twisted face…

…he relaxed his grip and it was all over. Lenara pushed him back with a blast of water and jumped back to gain some distance.

"Well, never saw that in Agni-kai before," Iroh said to the soldier beside him, whose eyes were still wide with shock. Zuko stood stunned, his emotions shaken. Lenara watched him, silent and a little crestfallen. Whatever had happened, there was still a fight to be won. Zuko's lip curled in a snarl. He had been tricked, caught off his guard, made a fool of in front of his uncle and his soldiers. It would not happen again.

Zuko ran at Lenara, released a fire stream, then kicked her legs out from under her when she dodged the fire. Lenara swept Zuko back with a quick whip of water. As she struggled to stand, Zuko leapt into the air, his face bent on nothing but victory. Lenara's hand readied a counterattack on instinct.

As his nephew neared the girl, Iroh's watchful eye saw her hand raise, stop, and slowly, discretely lower to her side. Zuko release a fireball. Lenara rolled out of the way and found the Fire Prince above her, his fist but a thumb's length from her face. She felt the heat on her face, sparks popping beside her ears. Her voice was steady, but her hands shook.

"You going to give me a scar as ugly as that one?" Zuko narrowed his eyes in rage, then paused. Something stirred in his good eye. A shadow of the past flashed across his memory. He lowered his hand and the flame winked out.

"Well done, Prince Zuko," Iroh announced, approaching his nephew with the Prince's discarded clothes.

"What are your orders, sir? Burn down the village?" Zuko pulled on his tunic and shoved his boots onto his feet. Two soldiers had already pulled Lenara to her feet and held her firmly by the arm. She glanced at the huts behind her, her jaw trembled, but she held it in.

"No," Zuko said, buckling on his armor, "leave the village. It's of no use to us." The two soldiers restraining Lenara released her and began to walk back to the ship. This wasn't in the plan. All that effort for nothing! Lenara was about to open her mouth to speak.

"However," Zuko murmured as an afterthought, "bring the Water chief with us. If she can track the Avatar, then we won't have to destroy her village in the future." The two guards back-stepped and bound Lenara's hands together. She shifted into a puddle of water, turning to watch the Fire Prince walk back to his ship. She lifted her eyes to the Water Tribe village. It would be a long time before she saw it again.

The Fire soldiers pushed Lenara towards the ship. The never noticed the puddle she was standing in had disappeared. They didn't notice her satisfied smile, either.

VIII.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka watched a fireball rise above the glaciers. Sokka turned to his sister and the Avatar.

"We need to go back and help her."

"What good would that do, Sokka? She sent us away from the North Pole to protect Aang. We can't show up against her word," Katara argued. Aang watched the horizon silently, worried for the kind water bender they had left behind.

"Yeah, but we can't abandon her to face Zuko! What if he…"

"Look, I'm worried too, but she's an accomplished water bender, Sokka. I think she can handle one Fire Navy ship…" An explosion of snow and flames erupted beyond the glacier line. The effect threw everything into harsh lights and shadows.

Aang stood up on Appa's shoulders, the wind snapping his poncho back.

"We're going back."

"Aang, Lenara told us to…"

"I know she sent me away, Katara. But she told me that I was lucky to have you and Sokka with me on this journey, that previous Avatars were alone with their burdens. Well, I won't leave her to face the Fire Nation alone."

"Yeah, let's do it!" Sokka said, rolling up his sleeve. Katara stared at her brother.

"Why are you so anxious to go back there?" Sokka blinked.

"You're kidding, right? This is my chance to kick some Fire bender butt!" Appa turned around and soared back to the village.


	5. Chapter 5

IX.

The Fire Navy ship pulled anchor and returned to the sea. Prince Zuko stood behind the helmsman, staring at the horizon ahead. General Iroh approached his nephew.

"You should be very happy, Prince Zuko. You fought with honor and now have a means to catching up with the Avatar." Zuko remained silent, the corners of his mouth turned down. Iroh pressed on.

"You know, the sooner we speak to her, the sooner we can find the Avatar. He has a pretty good lead, but I'm sure we can…"

"_I'm not speaking to her!" _Zuko exploded, rounding on his uncle. Flames erupted on his shoulders and arms. Iroh raised an eyebrow. 'She made more of an impact on him than I thought,' he mused. Zuko stalked past his uncle to the decks below.

X.

Lenara sat with her legs folded under her in a corner of the ship's prison hold. The gentle rocking of the sea helped calm her. She'd never been held captive before and didn't like being locked into an enclosed space. It made her nervous.

"Gotta focus," she whispered to herself. She drew in a breath, held it, and released it. She felt a little better. She inhaled again, a larger breath, and concentrated. Minutes crawled by. Slowly, a drop of water worked its way down her arm and dripped onto the dirty wooden planks that floored the holding cells. Several more drops, like sweat, rolled down Lenara's body and soon a small puddle of water, not unlike the one she absorbed in her village, collected at her feet. The rope started to loosen from around her wrists as the water escaped her body and she twisted her left hand out of the loop, then the right. Lenara tossed the rope aside and exhaled. She had used her body to draw water into her sponge-like before, but releasing it always left her feeling lightheaded and hungry.

"Now that the hard part's out of the way, let's get down to business…what do they have to eat around here?"

"Mostly spicy seafood and rice." Lenara turned, readying the water to shield herself. The older fire bender she had singled out back at her village stood in front of the iron bars of her cell, hands tucked into his sleeves.

"I was going to help you out of your binds, but I see you've managed without me." Lenara cautiously approached the old man. His face seemed familiar. He shuffled in his robe and brought out a small clay pot and two tea cups.

"Would you care for some soothing jasmine tea?" Lenara finally remembered his face. Her body relaxed and she took the cup from the old fire bender.

"I'd love some, General Iroh." Iroh looked surprised at the recognition in her face, but shrugged it off and exhaled on steam onto the clay teapot, boiling the water inside. He poured the tea and both seated themselves on the wooden floor facing one another as if they were old friends instead of two strangers in a prison. After a few minutes silence, Iroh sipped his tea and set the cup down.

"How did you know the name of a Fire Nation General?" Lenara smiled, setting her own cup down.

"My father told me a lot of stories about you, Dragon of the West."

"And they are all true, except the one about me stealing a shipment of jasmine tea. That has yet to be…proven." Iroh winked, raising his teacup to his lips. He paused.

"How did your father know me?" Lenara cradled her teacup between her hands. Iroh sensed he had tread on personal ground.

"My father died when I was eleven," Lenara explained, "He was a great bender. He liked to travel and heard about the war from those who were involved. That's how he heard of the Dragon of the West." Lenara finished her tea in a quick swallow, eager to leave the subject at

hand. She handed the cup back to Iroh and stood, smoothing her robe down over her tunic and shorts.

"I apologize for being nosy. I did not mean to bring up painful memories," Iroh said, collecting the tea pot and cups.

"Don't apologize for the past. It can't be undone."

"No, but it can be prevented from repeating itself. Prince Zuko is a firm believer in that." Lenara's eyes grew cold at the mention of the Fire Prince.

"How did he get that scar? That was no accident, was it? He seems too skilled to make a mistake like that." Iroh smiled. No wonder she could track the Avatar.

"Yes, Prince Zuko trains hard and his scar was not caused by a training accident. But perhaps I am not the one who should be telling you the story. He will be down shortly to ask you to find the Avatar." Iroh stood up.

"Oh, and your…improvised tactic during the Agni-kai made quite an impression on my nephew. I would tread lightly around that if I were you."

"Your nephew? Prince Zuko is…" Lenara stopped and then shook her head, smiling.

"A surrogate father. Well, he couldn't have asked for a better one," she muttered to herself. Iroh pretended not to hear.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing, General Iroh. Thanks for the tea."

"My pleasure. When my nephew comes, tell him your name. I would like to know it." Iroh turned to leave.

"Why don't you ask it for yourself?" Iroh stopped without turning around.

"The winner of Agni-kai has the honor of learning his enemy's name first. I will not rob him of that honor." Iroh walked up the metal stairs. Lenara turned away from the bars, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"That's right. I forgot about that."

XI.

As Prince Zuko approached the holding cell where the Water chief was, he rehearsed his questions. He wouldn't be caught off guard again. Shameful feelings boiled inside him. He should have known it was a trick, a tactic to distract him. Unfortunately he let himself surrender a little and paid for it. His uncle warned him it was too good to be true. And it certainly was.

Zuko stopped before the bars of the young woman's cell. She sat in the middle of the floor, eyes closed, hands resting in fists on her legs that were folded under her. Her copper colored hair hung bound in a strip of leather at the nape of her neck. A loose strand on either side of her head was tucked behind her ears.

She angered him. She always had a look on her face like she knew a secret he did not. And Zuko hated secrets being kept from him. A board creaked under his weight and the girl opened one eye.

"Oh. You. I didn't hear you coming." She stood, but stayed in the middle of the cell. The Prince had come alone to interrogate her.

"I want to know where the Avatar is going," Zuko commanded.

"Isn't it customary for the winner of Agni-kai to ask the defeated warrior their name first?"

"I don't care about the traditions! When I want your name, I'll ask for it," Zuko snapped. Lenara folded her arms.

"Then you've wasted your time. I won't tell you where the Avatar is going because I don't know. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you. You may as well leave," Lenara continued in a haughty voice, "since you cannot show me some decent courtesy."

"How _dare_ you think you can tell the Prince of the Fire Nation what to do, you dishonorable water-sucker!"

"Well, at least I don't lose my temper and resort to childish name calling…you smoke-blowing hothead," Lenara muttered.

"WHAT!" Zuko gripped the bars of the cell. The girl stepped towards him and for a moment, Zuko thought he saw a curl of flame in her eyes. She stopped, closed her eyes, and calmed down. She exhaled and shifted her eyes back on the Fire Prince. The flame was gone.

"Arguing is useless. I apologize for losing my temper with you," she said. Zuko removed his hands from the bars. Was this another trick?

"Is that acceptable?" The girl stared at Zuko. What was she trying to do? Why was a water bender, mortal enemy of the Fire Nation, apologizing to a fire bender?

"What's the matter with you? Are you hard of hearing? I just said…"

"I HEARD YOU!" Zuko roared, then stopped. Now it was his turn to calm down. He glared at the water chief, who wore a weary but stubborn expression. She seemed genuinely sorry. Zuko sighed. 'I can't believe I'm going to do this,' he thought.

"I…I didn't mean to lose my temper," he grudgingly replied. The girl nodded.

"Apology accepted. " Zuko crossed his arms.

"Your name- what is it?" Lenara approached the bars and stuck out her hand.

"Lenara, chief of the North Pole Water Tribe." Zuko stared at her extended hand. Lenara faltered.

"I think I understand. This is about the…" she trailed off, but the withering look in Zuko's eye finished the sentence.

"I never meant to disrespect you. I really wasn't trying to be mean or misleading. All's fair in Agni-kai."

"You coulddone anything else, hell, could've shot an icicle right through me," Zuko angrily replied. 'It would have felt the same' he thought.

"I could have, but much as I hate to admit, you're well trained, Prince Zuko, and any counter-attack like that would have been anticipated. Look," she sighed, "I am sorry for upsetting you, but I don't take back what I did, so you might as well deal with it." She watched Zuko's face for a reaction. General Iroh warned her about broaching the subject, but she just couldn't help herself. Watching Zuko get angry was encouraging-he still had some ambition.

Zuko watched her meet his eyes. He had to leave. He was getting nowhere. And the memory of the embrace during the fight began to resurface. Because of his disfigured face, he had never seen how his emotions for the opposite sex could be a problem. Every young woman in his past had shuddered at his face-except this one. She stared at him with strong, liquid green eyes and instead of repulsion and sympathy, he saw hard and cool indifference.

Zuko turned and left. Lenara walked to the bars of the cell, listening to the Prince's footsteps echo on the steel ship's walls. She opened her mouth, then thought better of it. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to open her mouth and remove all doubt. Lenara turned and leaned on the bars.

"That went well," she said to herself. She wasn't on the ship to make friends, though. Still, she thought back to what her father told her about Fire Lord Ozai. He would never apologize for butchering half of the world. But his son could for childish name calling? Perhaps there was hope for the Fire Nation after all.


	6. Chapter 6

XII.

As dusk fell, Aang jumped off of Appa before the bison landed and ran to Lenara's hut. It was still standing, filled with blankets and firewood and books. The village as a whole was intact.

Several villagers emerged from lit doorways to watch the visitors search their chief's hut.

"They've taken her prisoner, Avatar," a young girl said, her boomerang dangling from her belt.

"Was she the only prisoner?" Sokka asked. The girl gave him a shy smile, but the look on Katara's face made her become serious again.

"Yes. The chief told us to hide in the catacombs after we rung the warning bell. That way, if the Fire Nation burned our huts, we would still be alive. But she managed to persuade them to spare our homes."

"Talk about instincts," Sokka breathed, clearly impressed. Aang sighed.

"The Fire Navy ship is long gone and it's getting dark. We might as well camp here for the night." The young warrior pointed to the chief's hut.

"She told me to tell you to stay in her hut. She had a feeling the Avatar would return against her warnings." Aang grinned. Lenara had to be okay. She was much too clever.

"Zuko better not have hurt her," Katara fumed. Sokka lugged their sleeping bags into the hut and dumped them in a pile.

"Like you told me, sis, don't worry. She's a great water bender, yada, yada, yada…" He unrolled his mat. 'And her instincts are two steps ahead. Zuko won't know what hit him,' Sokka thought with a proud chuckle.

XIII.

The sun slipped beneath the silver covers of the sea. Iroh returned to the prison, a stub of a candle lighting his way. He found Lenara meditating. Iroh nodded his approval. 'She's as dedicated as my nephew. I wonder what she meditates to control' he thought.

Lenara smelled the wax melting and opened her eyes. Iroh took a key from the sleeve of his robe and unlocked her cell. Lenara stood up, questioning the old fire bender with her eyes.

"You can't meditate in the dark, " Iroh said matter-of-factly, "we will get you a candle." Lenara hesitated, then followed Iroh through the hall to the stairs. As they climbed, her stomach growled softly. It had been hours since her meal at dawn.

Iroh turned left from the stairs, then right onto the main hallway through the ship. He stopped in front of a partially open paper screen door, providing the only source of light, and turned to her.

"Wait here. I will go to the storage room and get it for you." Iroh disappeared around a corner, taking the candle with him.

Lenara glanced around the dark hallway, listening intently for approaching footsteps. Her eyes began to adjust to the dark and the light under the door appeared brighter. Lenara softly stepped to the door, balancing on the sides of her feet to decrease the noise. She slowly pushed the screen so a chink of light spilled from the side of the door, enough to survey the room. She bent her head towards the door.

Prince Zuko, bathed in the light of a single candle, was kneeling before a table set with three sets of dishes and chopsticks. He seemed puzzled about the number of settings. Why three?

Her toe bent and she stumbled against the wall, the impact echoing down the hall.

'Very smooth, water-sucker,' she cursed. Zuko's voice called from inside the room.

"Uncle? Is that you?" Lenara winced. Better to reveal herself and be done with it….

"Not quite." Lenara slid the door back. Zuko bolted upright.

"What are you doing out of the prison?"

"Your uncle let me out. He left to find a candle for my meditation." He glared at her as she glanced at the table. Her stomach growled again and she angrily tapped it with a fist. Hunger was a weakness and the last thing she wanted Zuko to know was her weaknesses. The water bender turned to the door.

"Wait," Zuko sat down at the head of the table and gestured to the seat opposite him, "the table, for some weird reason, is set for three. You may as well sit down and eat." Lenara looked skeptical.

"Or stand there and starve if you want," Zuko muttered. The water chief sighed and walked around the table to the seat across from Zuko. They reached for their chopsticks. The cook brought in a delicate and flavorful meal and left in a flourish of steam and empty trays.

Lenara stared at a shrimp roll and snagged it with her chopsticks. She popped it into her mouth and swallowed…and realized how spicy Fire Nation food was a few seconds later. She coughed, and bent some water in her glass to her, tears flooding her eyes. Zuko couldn't help a smug smirk.

"Bet they don't make them that spicy in the North Pole."

"No," Lenara croaked and wiped the tears from her eyes, "but I'll bet you can't eat two of them at the same time, smart guy." Zuko stacked two rolls on his chopsticks and stuffed them in his mouth and swallowed. Lenara watched him like a poker player calling his bluff and Zuko could feel himself fold. He coughed, face red, and reached for his tea. Suddenly, the tea left his cup and circled around Lenara. The smile on her face was cool.

"It's awful to be held at the mercy of someone else, isn't it?" Zuko reached for the teapot, but Lenara used her other hand and drew the tea out of the pot. He glared at her, smoke pouring from his ears. He made an inaudible noise.

"Sorry, didn't catch that? Are you familiar with the old proverb: pride goes before a fall?" Zuko slammed his fists down onto the table, leaving shallow dents in the wood. Lenara was unmoved.

"Apparently not. The Fire Nation has made countless people stoop and bend to their mercy, ifthat's what youcall mercy. I've seen the faces of those who suffered the wrath of the Fire Lord. Turns my blood cold. I once saw them burn a six-year-old girl's body because she refused to leave her dead mother's arms. I want you to understand a sliver of what the rest of this world endures; what we suffer because of the Fire Nation. So, cool off," Lenara shot the tea back at him. Like a small wave breaking over the surf, it doused the Fire Prince, leaving him soaking wet and none too amused.

This girl had a dark venom of disgust swimming through her. 'She hates this war. That's why she protects the Avatar,' Zuko thought. This feeling of repulsion in the war was all too familiar to him. They both continued to eat in silence. But something else nagged at him…

Suddenly, Zuko threw down his chopsticks and glared at Lenara.

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Look, Prince Zuko, I told you, I was trying to…"

"Was it your way of mocking me? To approach the monster of the Fire Nation? You must be proud, you never even flinched." Lenara was defensive.

"What's your problem?"

"My face!" Zuko exploded, causing Lenara to stiffen slightly in shock. Zuko gathered his composure and lowered his eyes, his emotions screaming inside him. Lenara watched him, scrutinizing a face shadowed by the candlelight. His scar was dark and deep, the eye in the center appeared almost like an empty socket. The scar even spread to his twisted and mangled left ear. Lenara knew this scar may have healed, but the one on Prince Zuko's soul would always remain sharp and torn. She bent some tea from pot close to her end of the table into her cup. Zuko watched it travel, then met her cold green eyes.

"Way out of line, Prince Zuko. Your face was never the issue. And for future reference, I don't flinch when I'm afraid. I force it out, I conquer the fear. I understand and move beyond it and find out what lies deep within it. So log that away and let it drop." He hated the way she talked to him. But there was a strength and confidence there that he just couldn't ignore. If she wasn't so self-righteous, she'd almost be tolerable. Almost.

"Don't think you can continue to order me as you do. I will not tolerate a prisoner's backtalk. I am the Prince of the Fire Nation."

"Yes, I can see that," Lenara replied flippantly, "so riddle me this- why is the only heir to the Fire Nation's throne out here looking for the Avatar? Couldn't they find mere soldiers to do that kind of grunt work? Or is there something else behind your pursuit?" She watched Zuko narrow his eyes.

"Fine, Prince Zuko. Your reasons are your own. Just do not ask me to betray the Avatar. He's this world's only hope of stopping this war.The only hope at the present time," her eyes shifted in his direction, "but it's his destiny to bring balance back to the world. That's what matters most. I won't find him for you, so don't ask."

"And if I burn your village?"

"Petty threats don't sway me. Our village has survived the one hundred years of this war. It will survive you, too."

The door flew open and General Iroh walked in, his arms laden with candles.

"Prince Zuko, have you seen…" Iroh stopped, noticing Lenara sitting across from Zuko.

'Oh, well, that solves that." Iroh took a seat at Zuko's left side, candles spilling from his arms to the floor. Zuko and Lenara held each other's glare. 'He may be ambitious, Father, but he still has too much pride', Lenara thought to herself. Iroh pulled several dishes towards him.

"Lenara, would you mind passing the rice bowl?" Lenara broke her staring contest with Zuko and reached over to pass the heavy red bowl to Iroh. As her shirt sleeve slid back from her wrist, Zuko swore he saw a tattoo on it, a familiar one at that. But when Iroh took the bowl, her sleeve lowered over her wrist.

Zuko abruptly stood up. Lenara and Iroh watched him

"I'm going on deck to train." He gestured at Lenara.

"Lock her up for three weeks. Bread and water. We'll see who responds to threats." Zuko ordered and stalked off. Iroh shrugged. He tossed a spicy shrimp roll in his mouth, followed it with three more, and swallowed without blinking.

"Mmm…good shrimp."

Lenara frowned. Being on this ship with Zuko was going to be difficult, especially when trying to accomplish her Father's mission. But there was something very appealing about him beneath his angry and impatient exterior. She liked how he got to the point of the problem, very focused and resourceful, even if he was a class A jerk.

Lenara waited for Iroh to finish eating, then they walked back down to the holding cell. It would be a long three weeks.


	7. Chapter 7

XIV.

A month later, Iroh approached the water bender's cell again. During this time, Lenara had meditated on how she would go about assembling the items for her mission. She had almost everything figured out. She hoped Ang wasn't too worried about her. The Prince didn't seem to know that the Avatar had turned around and headed back to the North Pole because the ship was still pushing top speed. The Avatar was now probably trailing a few dozen miles behind the Fire Navy ship. The hunter had become the hunted. The irony was not lost on her.

General Iroh cleared his throat.

"Prince Zuko requested your presence at tonight's practice." He unlocked the cell. Lenara remained seated.

"Not interested." Iroh shrugged.

"It could be the chance to reclaim your victory. You don't have to hold back this time." Lenara guarded her surprise. 'So, he knew I threw the fight,' she thought. 'At least he doesn't know why'.

"Is this going to be another one of your games where you let me out and the Prince and I go at each other's throats? If so, piss off. I'm not in the mood." Iroh remained passive.

"What game?"

"That bit about the candle? That was just some excuse to plant me in front of the dining chamber, wasn't it? You could have brought the candle down here, so why did you need me to go with you? Are you trying to make me despise you or do you have some other agenda?" Iroh smiled in spite of himself. 'Well, she caught on to that fast'. He leaned against the bars, turning to speak to her.

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm tired of playing games, General Iroh. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a Fire Prince's butt to kick." Lenara stood up, lightheaded from the lack of food and walked past three weeks worth of stale bread. She mounted the metal stairs and made her way to the door that opened onto the deck. Torches had been set up at the bow of the ship, their flames rippled in the North wind. She drank it all in, not knowing when she would feel the North wind on her arms again.

Prince Zuko stood between the torches, his profile silvered by faint stars that shone stubbornly in the cool night sky. In spite of the cold, Zuko had removed his shirt. Lenara stopped just beyond the door, shadowed by the helmsman's tower. She folded her arms and watched. Zuko stood still, concentrating for several minutes, then a disciplined shout broke the silence and an arc of fire fanned out in front of Zuko. He kicked again, a simple roundhouse move with a flame trail following his foot. Lenara realized now why he was training at night-he could study the shape and position of the flame better in the dark. Clever.

Zuko ran through his basic set, then moved on to a more advanced set of techniques his uncle had shown him but a few weeks ago. Lenara stepped from beyond the shadow and crossed the ship's vast deck to the bow, her footsteps hollow on the old and worn steel. Zuko turned at the sound of an approaching person, still on he guard from training.

"Calm down. It's just me." She stopped a few feet from him. He gave her an evil smile.

"So, you _can_ follow orders."

"I don't do 'orders'. I just came out for a rematch." Zuko's smile disappeared.

"What's the point? You promised anything if I won last time and yet you refuse to locate the Avatar for me," he smiled again, smug, "are you ready to find him now? Bread and water only taste good for so long."

Lenara answered by rolling up her right sleeve, then the left. She strode past Zuko, her copper hair snapped and flowed behind her in the sharp wind. She faced the dark sea, concentrated, then bent down and placed her palms flat on the steel deck. She rolled upwards, pushing her feet skyward in a handstand. She removed her left hand from the deck, stretching it to the side of her body, facing the Fire Prince, her eyes closed, to focus on her balance. She shook from the weight and the ship's swell and fall from the sea, but held her position. Quick as a shot of lightning, she hopped from the right hand to the left, her feet wavered slightly, then regained control. Sweat formed on her forehead. Zuko walked around her, intrigued, watching her wince slightly under the pressure. Being watched by Zuko didn't help.

Lenara rolled her body backwards and landed on her feet. She reached forward with her left arm, her right leg extended behind her and she bent at the waste. Her movements were fluid and graceful like water itself.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"Warming up."

"I'm not going to fight you again."

"Look, you were right. I made a promise and I should keep it. But I didn't fight fair…"

"I'll say," Zuko muttered. Lenara shook her head.

"Not that. I held back. I wanted to lose."

"What?" Zuko walked to Lenara and stopped inches from her, inviting himself into her personal space, "First the…improvised move and now this? Do you deal in nothing but lies?" Lenara was about to launch another insult at him, but stopped and thought about what Zuko said. She really didn't need to have his trust. She had a mission to accomplish and no one, especially this haughty, stubborn Prince of the Fire nation would stand in her way. But her father had always taught her to deal in honor, and her first exchange with Zuko had been anything but that. She owed her father that much.

"You're right. My father would have wanted me be honest, and I haven't been. That's why I want a fair fight this time, so that if, for some universally demented reason, I lose, I will keep my promise, even if it means revealing the whereabouts of the Avatar. But," she said with a smile, "I doubt I'll lose." Zuko felt himself smile. It was getting harder to dislike this girl. He folded his arms.

"Winner take all?"

"Sure."

"For the Avatar?" Lenara nodded.

"For the Avatar."

"Then show me what you've got, water-sucker." Zuko stepped back from Lenara, ready to fight. Lenara cupped one fist in her other hand and bowed. He blinked, surprised at the show of respect, and returned the bow.

"May as well start this the honorable way," Lenara explained. Zuko nodded and moved into the Agni-kai fighting stance. His scar twanged, ghost heat from the past running across his face. Honor and fighting seemed to run the gamut of his life. He longed for something different, something that made him whole, instead of a scarred shell of a boy.

"Bending only. No…improvisions."

"Fair enough. One moment, though," Lenara paused, scanning the dark sky. The clouds parted. The moon revealed itself, full and bright. The sea swelled in response.

"There it is. Okay, now I'm ready."

"Great," muttered Zuko, "a full moon. The perfect end to a rotten day." He took up his Agni-kai stance. Lenara moved her arm across her body towards the sea, calling the water up over the deck.

The two battled hard and fast, gritty attacks smoothed by graceful gestures. Zuko proved to be quicker to attack, but Lenara was more accurate and relentless. Zuko ran past Lenara as she leaped at him. Fire met water in the air and sparked out. They both paused, catching their breath, which fogged in the cool air.

"Not giving up, are you?" Zuko taunted. A curl of flame appeared again in her eyes. Something flashed in her memory. 'What are you hiding?' Zuko wondered.

"I gave up once. I'll never do it again. We finish this…now." Lenara charged at Zuko, water catapulting up in large streams from both sides of the ship, crashing on the deck, making shallow dents in the metal. Zuko dodged the first barrage, but the second pounded him to the deck and washed over him like a typhoon. Lenara swept a ball of water from the deck and shaped it into an icy sword. Zuko rolled to his feet, summoning fire and they both struck out at each other, his right hand held to her neck, engulfed in flame, her blade at his throat.

"Anger makes you stronger, doesn't it?" Zuko murmured. The ice blade melted where it touched his skin, but still was sharp.

"No, anger is a useless distraction," Lenara replied, solemn. The flame was already gone from her eyes. The two stared each other down, neither giving way. Lenara could feel the fire through his skin as their shoulders touched. 'No wonder the cold doesn't bother him', she thought. He smelled of sandalwood. 'Too close,' Lenara warned herself. She lowered her blade, letting it melt to water in her hands. She closed her eyes, focused on controlling the sudden anger. As she regained control she found Prince Zuko staring at her, a scrutinizing look on his face. He snatched her right hand up at the wrist, forcing the sleeve down, exposing the soft part of her lower arm.

"I knew that mark looked familiar," he said under his breath. Lenara tried to pull her wrist back, but Zuko's grip was strong.

"Let go."

"No."

"Seriously, Zuko, please let go." He searched her face. She was hiding something, but there was shame in the liquid green of her eyes, and he knew that feeling all too well. He released her and she stepped back.

"That's a mark of the Hün-dai family-a Fire Nation symbol given to…"

"…infants during the first sun rise of their lives. I know," she looked to the sea.

"How are you familiar with Fire Nation customs?"She remained silent.

"Why do you carry a Fire Nation family's mark on your wrist?" She turned away from Zuko. He stepped towards her and roughly grabbed her shoulders.

"Who are you? Tell me the truth!" Lenara flicked her eyes up to his and he caught the unmistakable pain in her face from an unspeakable past.

"Something haunts you." His grip softened, but she didn't pull away.

"It doesn't merely haunt me; it consumes me," Lenara answered bitterly. Zuko knew the feeling-he was all but bent on finding the Avatar.

"That's why I meditate. To deal with the past."

"To learn from it, so it won't be repeated again," Zuko replied, his voice hollow. Lenara felt her knees tremor. Three weeks without food was starting to take its toll. She watched his eye in his ragged scar narrow.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her knees gave way and she dropped to the deck, bracing her shaking body with her hands. Zuko bent down beside her.

"Did you even eat the bread?" She shook her head, then stopped. It made her dizzy.

"Fool. A dead water bender is no good to me." He couldn't hide the concern in his voice. Zuko stared at the mark on Lenara's arm. 'There's more to this water bender than what's on the surface,' he thought, 'she's too stubborn to tell me outright what happened and too crafty to trust. Perhaps a bargin is in order…'

"If you tell me about that fire-mark," Zuko said, leaning closer towards Lenara, "I'll tell you how I got this." He pointed to his scar. Lenara's first impulse was to refuse. She hardly knew the Prince and he was arrogant and impatient. She had never told anyone completely about her past. Even the water tribe didn't know all of it. Still, Zuko didn't seem the type to tell his past to anyone-no one on the ship besides Iroh might know about that scar. Her father always told her to know her enemies' past to understand their present. Something in her wanted very much to know about that scar, to perhaps let her fingers slip down the line of his jaw…he clouded her judgment. She cleared her thoughts and made up her mind.

"Fine. But no questions. I don't like revisiting the past."

"Same goes for me," Zuko said. He held out a hand to help her stand, but she brushed him off and stood on her own. He liked that.

"One week."

"Two," Lenara tucked a strand of her hair absentmindedly behind her ear, "It's not easy for me." Zuko nodded.

"In the meantime, you will remain in your cell."

"Don't worry, Prince Zuko, escape's not part of the plan." Zuko raised his eyebrow.

"You have a plan?" Lenara answered with a wry smile.

"So that's why you wanted to lose," Zuko said, more to himself than to the water bender. He glanced at Lenara, who stood with her arms crossed.

"You're pretty tricky."

"Better than being easily tricked." Zuko signaled the night guard and instructed him to escort Lenara back to her cell.

"And for the love of Roku, eat something!" he yelled over his shoulder at the girl. Zuko stood alone in the cold air. The moon escaped back into the cover of the clouds. The sea calmed itself. He stared at the dark waves. He was bargaining his past to gain her trust. If he had that, perhaps he could persuade her to tell him where the Avatar was. Not bloody likely. She had 'plans' and knowing this girl, she'll keep on protecting the Avatar. If it wasn't so frustrating, it would be admirable. So, if he knew she wasn't going to help him anyway, why reveal the most painful thing that had ever happened to him? Was it time to let someone in? Should it be this girl with a Fire Nation mark on her arm and the curl of flame in her eye? This was going to be a long two weeks.

XV.

Aang left the village on Appa shortly after the sun rose and stretched its purple shadows across the snow. Sokka scanned the blue waters ahead of them, watching for the Fire Navy ship's wake. Katara sat down near Aang, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"She's fine. You'd know if she wasn't." Aang nodded, bothered by what Lenara had said when he asked if they would meet again.

_I don't know, Aang. I hope so._

Aang was also bothered about Lenara's mysterious plan. She told the villagers to hide away from the village so they wouldn't be hurt. No, so they couldn't witness something. She was facing Zuko alone…her plan…they captured her…so they wouldn't interfere…

"She wanted to be captured," Aang said aloud.

"What?" Sokka turned around to face Aang and Katara. Aang explained.

"It may have seemed like she didn't want her people to get hurt, but she really wanted them away from the village so they wouldn't interfere. She wanted the Fire soldiers to capture her and take her on their ship…but why?"

"And how?" Katara mused, "Did she try to escape? She seems too clever for that. Maybe she pretended she wanted to help the Fire Nation capture you, Aang, to gain access to the Fire Nation. She said she never had a chance to put an observation post out there."

"Ah, c'mon, Katara," Sokka waved her off, "Zuko may be a weenie, but he's not stupid. He's too suspicious. She must have tricked him somehow..."

"The fight!"' Katara gasped, "She threw the fight!"

"What are you babbling about?" Sokka muttered, resting his chin in his hand.

"I noticed tracks in the snow! Two sets of footprints. I don't know who started it, but they had an Agni-kai!"

"A what?" Aang asked.

"Agni-kai. Fire duel. And of those prints, one was smaller than the other. There were bare feet on both at one point…"Katara closed her eyes, picturing the ground by the shore, scrambling to remember scrapes and prints in the snow.

"Why would a water bender have a fire duel?" Aang asked Sokka.

"Beats me. To throw them off their guard?" Sokka shrugged. "It's not like she can bend fire. Hey 'all-knowing guru of the Agni-kai'! Who'd she fight?"

Katara ignored her brother. She stared at Appa's snowy white fur. Snow. A large outline was left in the snow by a fallen warrior. No blood marred the white ground; at least that was a good sign. But there _was_ something red in the snow…a scrap of dark red cloth. Katara's eyes snapped up to meet Aang's. Only one fire bender wore the royal colors.

"Zuko," she breathed, "She fought Zuko. And lost."

"But Katara, you said she threw the fight. Of course she lost!" Sokka argued.

"Yeah, but she lost her freedom in exchange for…"

"…her plan." Aang finished. He glanced at Katara.

"Lenara's got another plan. I mean, besides the one to get on the Fire Navy ship."

"Well, what is it, Aang?"

"I don't know," Aang sighed. He saw smoke on the distant horizon. Smoke from a ship. Aang glared.

"But we're gonna find out."


	8. Chapter 8

XVI.

A week passed, then two. As the days glowed and faded, Lenara remained in the cell hold. The soldiers on guard watched her meditate for hours. She would practice water bending when the sun rose and more than one curious Fire Nation crewman could be seen glancing into her cell. This never bothered Lenara. She was more concerned about controlling her emotions. The anger that welled inside her had tried to escape that first month on the ship. Lenara vowed never to let it happen again.

The soldiers began to see her up on the ship's deck more frequently to trainbefore dusk. She tried to remain discrete, but a young water bender on a ship full of Fire Nation men couldn't help being singled out. Every now and again, however, she borrowed a fiddle from Bajü, the ship's wiry musician. The music coaxed from the old instrument was captivating in it's foreign way. General Iroh would frequently listen from the helmsman's tower. The crew pretended to have duties on deck in order to hear the next song. And every so often, Prince Zuko practiced his training to the tune of the water bender's music. Music that soothed the savage beast, the men said.

The soldiers noticed a change in Prince Zuko the moment the water bender girl was brought aboard-he was angrier. He snapped at the slightest hint of bad news. More than once, General Iroh had to come between his nephew and a crewmember, holding back two warriors ready to fight. It seemed like the Prince was battling with himself, his rage cut clean to the bone. Whispers began floating in the ship of the Fire Prince harboring a secret that ate him alive.

The crew and soldiers on the ship were a unique band of Fire Nation; richer than some, poorer than most, just common folk. They had their drinks at night and laughs during the day while hard at work, repairing and running the ship. They didn't hate the water bender, but they didn't defend her, until the night of the storm.

Two months after she was captured, a sudden storm broke out, washing out the deck with monstrous waves. Lenara ran to the deck just in time to see the crew rush past, trying to restrain a snapped cable that helped support the helmsman's tower. Lenara felt the ship shift direction under her feet and the crew heaved as one, losing their balance as they grappled with the cable. The sea rolled, tipping the ship the other way and Lenara watched in horror as one of the crewmen hit the rail and was thrown over the side into the abyss.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" the helmsman yelled. Lenara raced to the side and grabbed the rail. The man bobbed to the surface and flailed, then sunk below the black waves. Iroh appeared at her side. She met the old Fire bender's eyes.

"Be careful," he said as she rolled up her sleeves. Her foot echoed like thunder as she brought it down on the deck to brace herself. She moved her arms across her body and pulled the water to her. The man in the water gasped for breath as the sea drifted him towards the boat, but it wasn't enough. The water was too irrational to control.

"I can't…it's too wild…" Lenara's arms buckled and she lost her connection with the water. Zuko approached them as a bolt of lightning arced across the sky.

"Man overboard," Iroh explained, "She tried to bend the waves back, but it was too strong. You've done all you can," he said to Lenara. She stared at the waves. Thunder rumbled and the crew's shouts were drowned out by the roar of the sea. Lenara could feel the man's struggle in the water. Fire Nation or no, this man was drowning. She and Zuko shared a glance. He read the intent in her eyes.

"No." But before he could stop her, Lenara threw off her robe, sprinted to the edge of the ship and dived into the frantic waters, never looking back. The crewmen had watched the girl launch herself from the ship like an arrow from the bow and waited, strained from fighting the water and the cable they still clung to. Iroh and Zuko searched the waters in vain. Iroh sighed. Zuko hung his head.

A spiral of water shot up from the choppy waves, curving towards the ship. It broke upon the steel deck and receded, revealing the lost crewman and Lenara, both soaking wet. Iroh smiled.

"Well done, young water bender!" He clapped her on the back and she staggered, coughing the sea from her lungs. Zuko shook his head.

"Fool. A dead water bender's no good to me."

Suddenly, a loud pop broke from the tower and the audible groan of metal bending drew the group to the alarmed crewmen. The other cable on the starboard side had snapped from the deck. Zuko grabbed the line between two crewmen and pulled. The men shouted in frustration as the tower slowly leaned portside.

"We can't weld it!" shouted a crewman to Iroh, "It won't cool quickly enough for the weld to hold!" Lenara stepped over to a broken mount that once held a cable. She frowned, an idea forming.

"Iroh, can you get another fire bender on that other line? If you make the first weld, then we can have the other fire bender start on the second cable! Make sure to stand clear immediately after you're done!"

"Why?" Iroh yelled over the storm.

"Because it's going to get a little cold up here." Iroh divided the crewmen into two teams that stretched the cables taunt to the deck. Zuko stood with the first team, who used their remaining strength to hold the cable. Iroh shot a stream of white hot fire, melting the end of the cable and the deck below it. A crewman carefully applied more iron ore to the weld. Lenara passed her hand over the weld and exhaled, a blast of ice cooling the weld instantly. The second cable was welded, cooled and intact. The crew released their grip on the cables and stood silently. A calmer rain fell from the storm soaked sky. Dripping wet and exhausted, they turned their eyes to the girl who had saved their ship and one of their own from the sea. She stood, shaking with exhaustion, but satisfied. The silence broke and the crew surrounded her, expressing relief and gratitude.

Iroh rung out the sleeves of his robe as Zuko approached his mentor.

"A water bender has the respect of a crew of fire benders in one day."

"Yes, one grain of rice, no matter how small, can tip the scales, Prince Zuko. Perhaps she was meant to be with us on this journey as more than a prisoner, hmm?" Zuko looked up at the girl, frail in her small body, but strong enough to conquer the sea and cold steel. Just when he thought he could make himself indifferent to her, she proved him wrong.

After that storm, nothing was ever the same again.

XVII.

The day arrived when two enemies would sit and reveal their pasts. Lenara draped her hands over the ship's rail, watching the sun come up. She had meditated most of the last night over this meeting today. It still felt strange to reveal her past to someone she only knew for a few months. But she was short on allies and it was time this burden was lifted. Besides, what better person to explain the Fire Nation mark on her arm to than the Prince of the Fire Nation? The wind whisked the stray hairs from her face. The air was beginning to warm up, a sign that she had left her home for good. Warm air meant the Earth Kingdom; warm water meant the Fire Nation.

Lenara skipped breakfast, the month long fast having ruined her appetite. She headed down into the bowels of the ship. Since the storm, Zuko had released her from the prison hold below and she had a small dorm to herself on the main hallway, still heavily guarded at night, but she was able to enjoy the night sky again. There was no explanation, but she had a feeling Iroh was involved.

She heard voices approaching down the hall. One of them sounded like the Fire Prince. Not eager to confront him this early in the morning, she ducked into the nearest room, quietly shutting the door. Zuko's voice faded, as did Iroh's as they passed the room. Lenara released her breath. She was becoming spineless over nothing.

The room was dark, but strange shapes were silhouetted against a chink of light from a small porthole, almost blocked by the objects crammed in the room. She didn't have a candle with her, but there was no use for it if she did-no flint to strike a spark existed on a ship full of fire benders. She reached in the pocket of her shorts and closed her hand around the crystal she had shown Aang. The crystal let off a dull violet glow, giving Lenara enough light to be nosy with. She was in the ship's store room. She poked into a couple of random crates, finding rope and wax, coal and dried meats. Ordinary supplies. Another crate revealed the white candles Iroh has collected for her. She peaked into the top crate of a large stack and inhaled. Jasmine tea.

"Innocent until proven guilty, huh, Iroh?" she shook her head with a smile. As she wound her way to the back of the store room, she noticed the air felt cooler. A soft breeze, barely a whisper, tickled the hairs on her arm. She turned to the right and touched the metal wall. Nothing strange here. Her fingers ran down the length of the wall. No seams, no opening to push air through. Then she passed her fingers over a small gap. It was hardly noticeable. She crouched down by the imperfection near the bottom of the wall. Slowly crawling her fingers over it, she made the shape of a square in the dust. A piece of metal had been cut from the wall, like a cooling duct. But someone had welded it shut.

"Why would someone do that on a small, enclosed ship?" Lenara wondered. If it was a duct, it had to have two openings. Where did the other lead? She stood up. Curiosity had taken its hold of her like Fire opium. Best bet was to begin with the room on the other side.

Lenara cautiously opened the door, listening for approaching voices. The hall was silent like the womb, and she slipped out of the store room, pocketing the crystal. Hand to the wall, she felt her way through the dark hallway until she came to the door of the neighboring room. She nudged it open with her foot, scanned the room for occupants, and finding none, stepped inside.

When the door was shut, Lenara let her eyes take in the room-and her heart froze as only a water bender's can. It was Zuko's chambers. His meditation candles were lined up in a neat row, his armor hung in an ornamentally carved wardrobe. The Fire Nation flag dominated one wall of the room. A blue mask hung on a corner of the wardrobe door. Lenara approached it and touched the grinning face on the mask. There was a shallow dent under the left eye hole.

"The Blue Spirit…strange choice for a fire bender. _What _have you been up to, Prince Zuko?" She smelled something familiar on the mask, the scent of someone she knew…Aang? When was Zuko in the company of the Avatar? Something smelled rotten in the city of Ozai…

Lenara turned from the mask to the scan the floor. This could be her chance to find out the Fire Nation's plans, perhaps find the supplies for her mission. At the least, the hole in the wall probably had the Prince's darkest and most important secrets and she'd be damned if she would leave without knowing them.

The hole was located behind the Prince's bed. Lenara moved the corner of the bed and pressed her back against the wall, using her legs to push the heavy pallet away from the wall. She crawled into the wedge of space behind the bed and felt for the welded square. The square panel fell right into her hands as soon as she touched it. Strange, so the hole was open on this side. What secrets awaited? Maps? Plans? A horde of Jasmine tea?

A few random objects were clustered together at the back of the duct. Lenara reached into the hole and pulled out a couple of medals, old and worn; past Iroh's time when the Fire Nation was just starting to reward cruelty. She set them aside and found an old book, several stones, things that made no sense to anyone except Zuko. 'Talk about anticlimactic…what a load of junk!' she thought.

A tarnished necklace with a firestone locked in its center lay in a scrap of cloth bearing an old family crest. Was this his mother's? As she set the necklace down, something caught her eye. Lenara hesitantly reached into the hole again and pulled out a faded and fragile ink washed portrait. The boy in the painting had light brown hair and beautiful eyes that shone with excitement and innocence. He had a guarded smile on his face. The edges were torn at the top where more of the picture should have been. Another person had been standing with the boy, a hand on the young man's shoulder was all that remained.

Lenara turned the picture over for a clue to the identity of the man or the boy. Nothing. She flipped the portrait over again and searched the boy's face. There had to be a connection, otherwise why would Zuko have this in his trove of personal effects? For some unexplained reason, she thought of the time her father described the little Fire Prince he saw during one of his journeys. He had told her the young man had dark brown hair and eyes that shone with pride and fearless devotion.

"No way," she whispered, but the resemblance was clear. She was not used to seeing him without his scar. It _was_ Zuko; this is what he looked like before the scar, before the anger appeared and the demons descended into his soul. She sat amongst Zuko's most private treasures and for the first time felt a little sorry for him. Like the crystal she had shown Aang, the Prince had some facets that she wasn't expecting. He was someone's son once, innocent and full of potential. He was the Fire Nation's hope once, too, before tragedy descended upon him.

'What in the world happened to him?' she wondered. The sound of footsteps broke her thoughts and she quickly set the objects back in the hole and slotted the metal plate into the duct. It didn't fit, so she wiggled the metal, the sharp edge slicing her palm open. She didn't dare stop. She tapped the center of the square with her fist and it sealed smoothly back into the wall. Lenara shoved the bed back with a solid kick and turned for the door. She threw the door open and ran right into Prince Zuko.


	9. Chapter 9

XVIII.

"What are you doing in my chambers?" Zuko demanded. Lenara knew the truth was the only option at this point. She hid her bleeding palm behind her back.

"I found your hiding place behind your bed. Everything is still there, I didn't hurt anything…" Lenara waited for the volcano to explode in Zuko's eyes. She could handle his rage. What she couldn't handle was his calm fury. His voice was barely a whisper.

"Leave. Now." Lenara ducked past Zuko, her injured hand brushed against his arm and she winced in pain, but headed up the stairs at a fast clip. She didn't stop until she reached the rail at the rear of the ship. An ashamed ruddy color in crept onto her face. Besides the fact that he would forever lock her in that cell, what stung the most was knowing she had hurt him. Rifling through someone's personal effects was low, even if it was a Fire bender's. Her right hand throbbed, the gash in her palm still bleeding. She felt she deserved what she got. After all, her curiosity did this to her once before, only instead of a cut on the hand she had nightmares for four years. Her father's face flashed and faded from her memory. It was getting harder to remember his face. He would have been ashamed to see her now; caught being disrespectful.

"Father," she said aloud, "Help me find humility in my foolish pride." A shadow behind the helmsman's tower moved and Prince Zuko approached the water chief.

"Do you think he can hear you?"

"Always. Doesn't yours?" Zuko didn't answer. Lenara watched Zuko undo his sash from his waist. He held out his right hand, his left closed around the flowing cloth.

"Where is it?" Lenara extended her right hand, palm up. Zuko gently took her hand, studying the wound. 'Must have left blood somewhere,' she thought.

"It's deep. We should close it first." Zuko tried to read her expression. She knew what that meant. She had seen the store room-not a needle or thread in sight. She nodded.

"Do it." Zuko handed the sash to Lenara, concentrated, and carefully burned the wound closed, scarring the flesh. He watched her face. She never made a sound, but the pain winked in and out of her eyes.

"You held it in," he said as she cooled the burn, "Good. Never let anyone see your weakness."

"But you already know my weaknesses-pride, wrath, hunger…geez, I'm as pure as the yellow driven snow." She noticed Zuko was still holding her hand. Not that she cared, or anything.

"How's your hand?"

"It's hurts like hell, but I'll deal," Lenara ruefully grimaced as she touched the jagged scar. Zuko frowned. She would have that scar for life. He didn't like dealing in scars. The cool sea air whipped their hair. Lenara clutched the sash. Zuko reached for it and, tearing it in half, wrapped it around Lenara's hand, tying it with a firm knot

"Why are you doing this?" Zuko averted his gaze.

"I don't need you bleeding all over my ship." Lenara half smiled to herself, then became serious.

"I didn't mean to…"

"Forget it," Zuko interrupted, then smiled in spite of himself, "apology accepted. I think too much about the past and it's time I start to let it go and focus on the future. Now, log that away and let it drop." Lenara grinned. It was getting harder to hate this guy.

"Is it possible to let go of the past? Because if so, I'll take two." Zuko closed his eyes, his scar stretched as he scowled.

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"Ah, it's just as well," Lenara confidently waved it off, "the past helps us remember by pointing out the mistakes. Don't get me wrong, I would give anything to change the past, but my father once said 'everything happens for a reason; whether honorable or horrible, it couldn't have happened any other way, because the future depends on the past'."

"He sounds like Uncle Iroh," Zuko muttered.

"He was my whole world. He was the gentlest soul, but threaten anyone he loved and he was fierce as the dragon."

"You speak of him as if he's gone. What happened to him?" Lenara scratched her burn absentmindedly. She was opening up too much. Why did she trust Zuko with this much already?

"That's a long story…"

"Does it involve that mark?" She ignored Zuko. Her father seemed so close whenever she spoke of him. He seemed to whisper to her across time, telling her to listen; now was the time for something to surface in the course of the journey…

"Still asking the wrong questions, Zuko," Lenara said in a distracted murmur. Zuko stared at her; she seemed lost in thought.

"We'll meet tonight. Dining chamber. Two hours after dark," he said, snapping Lenara back to the present. He turned and left. She let out a frustrated groan. She kept letting her mouth move before she could stop it with her brain. This night was going to be ugly. But first things first. She had a mission to accomplish. The Avatar was counting on her. So was her father. She hoped she had enough time before the tide.

XIX.

Lenara practiced her tsu-chi, a form physical stretching and acrobatics, while the sun set. After she was finished, she scrawled a letter on a piece of scrap parchment she had found, pocketed the quill and ink, rolled the scroll up and poked it into a glass bottle, then hurled it out into the open sea. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was looking, then forced the wake carrying the bottle northward.

"Let's hope your instincts are up and about, Sokka."

The helmsman called the hour once, time passed and he called it twice. Lenara could delay no longer. She walked down into the pitch black hallway, more familiar with the area now and approached the dining chamber door.

"Father, give me courage. Let me know what I should and should not say." She slid the door open and stepped in, shutting it with her foot.

Zuko sat at the table, one lone candle creating a soft circle of light. A bottle, this one full, and two small glasses were set on the table. Lenara sat left of Zuko, eyeing the bottle warily.

"Fire saki. I figured we're in for a rough night," Zuko explained, uncorking the bottle and pouring a shot into each glass. Lenara regarded the glass with a wrinkled nose.

"It smells…awful."

"Of course. That's the sulfur." Zuko downed his shot and set the glass on the table.

"I'll pass," Lenara replied, pushing the glass away.

"You first," Zuko commanded. She held his stare, ready to look the past right in the face.

"My mother," she began, "died when I was a few days old. A plague had ravaged our water tribe and left few survivors. She was the chief, I was her only child. But my father and the tribe decided my safety would best be insured away from the plague. We left the North Pole and traveled to the village of Onagi, between the Earth kingdom Omashu and the Fire Nation border. Father decided I should continue to water bend, a tradition too important to my mother to leave behind. He taught me to bend from an old water bending scroll that is now lost to me.

"As the years passed, my father and I spent a lot of time on the road, exploring different villages, talking with the different people, learning about their history and their suffering through their songs and stories. My father was always patient, both with me and with those he comforted. He never had an unkind thing to say, even about those who had destroyed the lives of the people we met. And he was so_ smart_. He could pick up a rock and tell you exactly which mountain it came from in the Earth kingdom and what properties it had. He could taste the difference between all the rivers. He may not have been the Avatar, but he was the closest person I knew who was so connected with the elements. And he taught me well.

"We stayed in Onagi until I was nine, then we moved on into the Fire Nation." Zuko raised his remaining eyebrow over his right eye.

"You entered the Fire Nation? A water bender risked his child's safety to enter the Fire Nation?" Lenara shook her head.

"My father had a task to complete that involved spending some time in the Fire Nation. But he protected me by warning me never to use water bending while in the Fire Nation."

"And the mark on your arm-he used that to protect you as well? He disguised you as a Fire Nation child? I suppose it makes sense, your father was well educated, he could have found out the Hün-dai were an old and declining family and used their symbol to…"

"No," Lenara explained, "my parents just believed strongly in family traditions."

"Family tradition? But the fire mark is a…wait…" realization dawned on Zuko's face. The flame in her eyes, the mark on her wrist, the anger she harbored that only a fire bender could conjure…he should have known.

"Your father…was of the Hün-dai clan?" Lenara nodded. Not only one of the first founding families of the Fire Nation, the Hün-dais had a long and proud military history serving the Fire Lords, right up to Fire Lord Ozai.

"His first name was Taro, the last of the lofty Hün-dai bloodline. And since it was taboo for him to marry outside the Fire Nation's older families, to a water bender no less, he left the Fire Nation and his namesake and never looked back."

"But he did return," Zuko pointed out.

"Yes, he did. When father was about your age, he didn't agree with his family's savage military ways. So it completely infuriated my grandfather when he joined the monks at the temple of Avatar Roku," Lenara chuckled, "but my father was not the only family member at the temple. My father was taken under the wing of his uncle, who was a head monk at the temple and passed his teachings along to my father. " Zuko started at the mention of another mentoring uncle. It was strange to have so much in common with a dead man.

"Unfortunately, my father couldn't complete the training."

"Why not?"

"Because one day, a visiting tribe of water benders stopped at the temple of Avatar Roku to pay their respects and my father fell in love with the chief of the water tribe, a young woman with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. A monk is forbidden to marry, so my father did the only sensible thing…he left the temple and married my mother!"

"You mean your father turned his back on his family's honor _and_ the Avatar?" Zuko couldn't fathom giving up everything for one person. Lenara's gaze was like ice. Zuko knew he had overstepped his boundaries, remembering the 'no questions' rule. He fell silent.

"No, my father never forgot about the Fire Nation…or the Avatar. By the time I was born and my mother died, Roku had passed on and Aang was just settling beneath the waves of the ocean…" she paused and Zuko caught her hesitation, but didn't pry. She shook her head.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this, but you might as well know. My father spent most of his life, after my mother died, searching for the Avatar. He said the monks gave him a task to complete just before he left the temple."

"His task. Your plans. They're one and the same, aren't they?" Zuko asked.

"Yes, but you're breaking the rule again." Zuko motioned for Lenara to continue. She dreaded this moment, as she knew her defenses were going to be at their weakest. No one likes to talk about how they watched someone die.

"The quest for the Avatar was everything to my father and it was what ended up getting him killed. He was going into a Fire Nation village, just for basic supplies, an ordinary chore. He told me to stay home, but being who I am," she smiled, "I followed him, out of sight, driven by curiosity of his search for the Avatar. While at the market, he unknowingly dropped a scrap of paper than contained his recent clues to the whereabouts of the Avatar. Fire bender soldiers picked it up. They interrogated him and he denied nothing. I think my father knew at that point his life was over, but he had faith the Avatar would be found and his mission would be completed, with or without his being there." Her eyes rested on Zuko and he shifted uncomfortably.

"It was treason to search for the Avatar at that time. To look for the Avatar was to plot against the Fire Lord, a crime punishable by death.

"They built his pyre in the streets and as I watched, they tied him fast, spitting and cursing his existence. And as I watched they raised their arms higher, ever higher and released their fire…"

"….and they burned him alive."

Lenara was pale as snow. Zuko touched his scar. He knew how it felt to be burned by the fire.

"The screaming haunts me to this day."

"How old were you?"

"Eleven." Zuko shook his head. This war…it sickened him. He noticed Lenara's hands were twitching, a tremor triggered by the past. Zuko reached out and enclosed her shaking hands in his. He didn't explain. She didn't pull away.

"I've never told anyone about this. I don't know why I tell you now, except…for some reason, you remind me of him sometimes. You both search relentlessly for the Avatar and it looks like he wasn't the only one who wasn't crazy about this war." Her hands steadied and she pulled them away. 'There is your legacy, Father. Hope I did the right thing'.

"I asked Uncle Iroh to let me sit in on a military meeting in my father's war chamber," Zuko began, "I had been told not to speak, but when a general announced plans to use our infantry as live bait for the Earth warriors without informing them of their fate, I spoke out against the plan. Those men were loyal to our nation; I wouldn't sit by and watch them be betrayed," Zuko muttered bitterly. Lenara leaned forward, giving the Prince her full attention.

"My father was furious with me. Because I had challenged another warrior's decision we had to settle it with Agni-kai." Lenara frowned. She could see where this was going.

"I thought I would be fighting the general I had challenged, but I found out that if you challenge any plans in the Fire Lord's war chamber, it is a direct challenge of the Fire Lord himself."

"You had to fight your own father? Geez, Zuko, that's rough."

"No, I didn't fight him."

"What? Wait a minute, you just said…" Zuko lowered his head, shame crippling his features. He wanted to lie; the truth would only expose his weakness. But it was too late for a rewrite now.

"I refused to fight him. I…I begged his forgiveness, told him I was his loyal son, that I would never intentionally disrespect him. He ordered me to fight him, but I refused. The last words I remembered him saying were 'suffering would be my teacher and pain my punishment'. Then he…" Zuko cut off bitterly, remembering the flesh peeling away from his face, the sickening smell of his own skin, the raw nerves exposed and screaming in pain. Lenara watched the arrogant Prince struggle. Fire had played a tragic part in both their lives, changing them forever. Lenara heard her father's voice in the back of her mind, urging her, telling her to say what needed to be said, for now that moment had come.

"Look, Zuko, my father once told me he saw you as a young boy," Zuko looked up in surprise, "He said the Prince may have been young, but had great potential and one day, he would bring solace to his people by ending this war. I didn't believe him then, but now, I think he was right."

"How could he have been right? I've been banished from the Fire Nation, from my home. I no longer have a right to claim the throne, much less stop this war. I've been sent into exile to find the Avatar. It's my only chance to get back what was once mine since birth."

"What, your honor? Zuko, you've had that all along. You don't need to present a prize to your father to prove that. " Zuko scowled, but it wasn't as if the thought hadn't occurred to him before.

"Besides," he grumbled, "I thought your father believed the _Avatar_ would stop the war."

"Father believed the Avatar brought hope and ultimately he would bring balance back between the four elements. But he also believed that you, Zuko, are the key to our Fire Nation's future. He may not have agreed with the Fire Nation's war, but he loved the Fire Nation. It was his home, too. The last thing he wanted was his fellow patriots destroyed.

"When I heard from the post at Onagi that the Prince of the Fire Nation was banished, I lost all hope. I stopped searching for the Avatar. I gave up on my father's mission. What was the point of finding the Avatar? Even if the Avatar returned, the throne would still be empty and the Fire Nation would decline. The balance would still be wrecked."

"So that's what you meant when you said you'd never give up again," Zuko said.

"That's right. I already knew the Avatar had returned and was heading our way, but this made little difference to me. That all changed, however, when Aang told me that he was being pursued by a relentless Prince of the Fire Nation," Lenara smiled.

"You're hope…I mean, you've been waiting…for me?"

"Your mission is no less important than the Avatar's. Didn't you know that? You and Aang were meant to change the course of the future for our world together." Zuko stared at her. Was she insane? Work with the Avatar? Throw away his honor? She read the expression on his face and laughed.

"Don't look so repulsed, Zuko. What's wrong with saving the world? Afraid you might actually like it?"

"Don't mock me. My mission is to capture the Avatar. Nothing you've said changes that."

"Okay, so your mission stays the same. But will you? And your reasons for capturing the Avatar-are they any different then when you began this journey?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I guess your right…so, would you rather tell me the story about the Blue Spirit mask instead?" Zuko shouted in rage and stood up from the table. Lenara shot right up with him.

"Don't turn your back to me, Prince Zuko. You know what I say is true- you are the Fire Nation's best chance at finishing this massacre and salvaging some peace for this world."

"Enough! I will not be ordered to by a prisoner on my own ship!"

"No, but you will listen to reason," Lenara's expression softened, "Search your heart, Zuko. You'll know what you should do when the time comes. I can't help being rude, I'm just anxious-I thought you were lost and now, you're here. It may not show, but I can't help feeling a little relieved." Zuko fell silent. This girl made him furious beyond compare. He hated how outspoken she was. He also hated how beautiful she was. But she was really starting to grow on him. He'd spent months searching for the Avatar…who knew someone in turn was searching for him?

"I need some time to think about this," he said.

"Understandable. I need some sleep," Lenara stretched and headed for the door, "This has been the longest two months of my life. Feels like I've been on this lousy ship forever."

"I know the feeling," Zuko muttered. Lenara cringed.

"Sorry. I didn't realize. You really miss home, don't you?"

"I can hardly remember what the land looks like."

"Yeah, I have the same problem with my father's face. It's getting harder to recall what it looked like. I'm almost afraid one day I'll forget it altogether." Lenara held the door for Zuko and walked down the hall to her makeshift chamber. Two guards were standing in front of her door. Zuko waved them off. Lenara opened the door and paused.

"I didn't enjoy this, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"You're still arrogant and impatient."

"You're still a water-sucker." Zuko shifted restlessly.

"Lenara, I…" She rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It's been a long night and we both need some sleep. Will you tell me tomorrow?"

"I…won't be able to."

"Then it's probably best left not said."

"Practice at sunrise?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the Avatar." Zuko shook his head, a grin on his face, and left Lenara standing in the doorway. She closed the door and went to her bed, pulling her scrolls out and spreading them across the bed. She had given up once. But she wouldn't do it again. The Avatar had returned. The Prince was found. And tomorrow morning, her mission began.


	10. Chapter 10

Confessions of a Scarred Prince

I hate how beautiful you are

How my fire barely compares

To the passion you harbor.

And when I burn, you only smolder,

A gentle flame in the curve of

Your green colored eye.

What could I possibly offer

To the alter of your soul

That would satisfy?

I deal in scars and demons

That haunt my waking hours.

And you seem my solace in

This solitary steel cage.

But if you don't return the

Affection I have, it's a life I can

Live with.

You owe me nothing.

This is the only kind of love

that I have ever known

to exist in this world


End file.
